Review №24 of Chinese Antitrust News from the Experts of the BRICS Competition Centre
- Policy Articles in the People's Daily
- EC Fines AliExpress €550 Million for DSA Violations
- Hotel Association Plans Antitrust Lawsuit Against Ctrip
- CNKI Removes AI-Authored Academic Papers
- Support Program for Sole Proprietors on Online Platforms
- Apple to Integrate Qwen AI Tools
- M&A Merger Review Statistics for the First Half of 2026
- WAIC Highlights: Launch of WAICO and a Global AI Initiative
- Overseas Antitrust Series: Turkey
Policy Articles in the People's Daily
On July 16 and 17, People's Daily, China's leading official newspaper, published two flagship policy articles on market regulation.
The first article, authored by SAMR Director Luo Wen, reviews the government's efforts to combat "involutionary" competition (neijuan). It argues that curbing such destructive competition is an essential prerequisite for fully unleashing the vitality of market participants. According to the article, involutionary practices are becoming increasingly sophisticated and difficult to detect, including shifting costs onto other participants in the supply chain, reducing costs at the expense of product quality, charging hidden fees, manipulating online traffic, and using algorithmic ranking to distort competition. The article stresses the importance of creating room for businesses that operate with integrity, produce high-quality products, and pursue innovation, while ensuring that all market participants can compete on a fair and orderly basis.
The second article highlights the timeliness of the proposed amendments to China's E-Commerce Law. It notes that e-commerce platforms have become deeply integrated into virtually every aspect of production and daily life, making their impact on the economy and society increasingly significant. As a result, platforms should assume responsibilities commensurate with their market position and functions—not only by regulating their own business practices but also by fulfilling their obligations to govern platform participants and protect their lawful rights and interests. The article was authored by Liu Xiaochun, Director of the Internet Law Research Center at the University of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.
Sources: People's Daily 1, People's Daily 2
EC Fines AliExpress €550 Million for DSA Violations
The European Commission (EC) has fined AliExpress €550 million for breaching its obligations under the Digital Services Act (DSA). According to the Commission, the company failed to conduct adequate risk assessments, allowing illegal, unsafe, and counterfeit products—including uncertified toys and potentially harmful cosmetics—to remain available on the platform. These products were not only accessible for extended periods but were also repeatedly recommended and promoted to consumers.
The amount of the fine reflects the nature of the infringements, their duration, and the scale of the resulting harm. AliExpress has until October 20, 2026, to submit a compliance plan to the Commission outlining the measures it will take to remedy the violations.
AliExpress has rejected the Commission's decision, arguing that the fine is disproportionate to its efforts to comply with the DSA.
China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs also criticized the decision, stating that China firmly opposes the European Commission's use of platform regulation as a pretext for creating digital barriers and adopting discriminatory measures to restrict and suppress the normal operations of Chinese e-commerce companies in Europe.
Sources: WeChat 1, WeChat 2, European Commission
Hotel Association Plans Antitrust Lawsuit Against Ctrip
The Yunnan Province Guesthouse Owners Association (southwestern China) has commented on the ongoing antitrust investigation into travel services platform Ctrip. Association Chairman He Shuangquan stated that the organization is considering filing a class-action antitrust lawsuit against Ctrip once the regulator publishes its final decision.
According to He, the Association has already collected more than 100 complaints, supplier reports, and other pieces of evidence relating to Ctrip's alleged anticompetitive conduct. The complaints primarily concern the platform's alleged exclusivity requirements imposed on accommodation providers and its excessive commission fees.
He also noted that the Association's attempts to resolve these issues directly with Ctrip had been unsuccessful. According to him, the company has consistently denied engaging in anticompetitive practices, arguing instead that the disputes stem from misunderstandings of its platform rules.
As previously reported, on January 14 this year, SAMR launched an investigation into Ctrip on suspicion of abusing its dominant market position and engaging in anticompetitive practices.
Source: WeChat
CNKI Removes AI-Authored Academic Papers
CNKI (China National Knowledge Infrastructure), China's leading academic publishing platform, has removed papers listing artificial intelligence as an author. In a public statement, the platform explained that AI is neither a subject of civil law nor a legal person with legal capacity; rather, it is merely a research support tool. Accordingly, copyright in AI-generated content should belong to researchers who have made a substantial intellectual contribution to the work.
The statement further argues that attributing authorship to AI blurs the lines of responsibility for the accuracy of content, logical reasoning, and academic integrity. As a result, CNKI no longer accepts submissions that list AI tools as authors. All authors must be natural persons, legal entities, or organizations, while the use of AI should instead be disclosed in the "Research Methods" or "Acknowledgements" section to ensure transparency and traceability.
Source: Global Times
Support Program for Sole Proprietors on Online Platforms
SAMR has launched a five-pronged initiative to support the development of sole proprietors operating on online platforms. The program aims to achieve five key objectives by the end of 2027:
- providing targeted support for new online merchants;
- improving sole proprietors' access to platform resources;
- expanding policy and regulatory outreach, including compliance training to enhance merchants' market competitiveness;
- promoting digital transformation by encouraging platforms to provide simple and affordable digital business management tools that reduce the operational burden on sole proprietors;
- leveraging local innovation and business support initiatives while expanding access to national and local business infrastructure.
Sources: SAMR 1, SAMR 2, WeChat
Apple to Integrate Qwen AI Tools
Apple has successfully registered its Apple Intelligence platform for use in China, paving the way for the integration of Qwen, the large language model developed by Alibaba. Apple users in China will be able to access Qwen's AI capabilities, including text and image recognition, content generation, and other intelligent features.
The partnership was first confirmed publicly in February 2025 by Alibaba Co-founder and Chairman Joseph Tsai. He noted that Apple had been highly selective and had held discussions with numerous Chinese companies before ultimately choosing Alibaba as its AI partner.
Source: WeChat
M&A Merger Review Statistics for the First Half of 2026
SAMR has released its merger control statistics for the first half of 2026, reporting that it reviewed 298 merger and acquisition (economic concentration) filings during the period. Of these, 283 transactions were unconditionally approved, 12 applications were withdrawn by the notifying parties, two were cleared subject to remedies, and one transaction was prohibited.
The most active sectors for M&A activity were manufacturing, water supply, electricity, gas and heating utilities, transportation, financial services, and real estate. SAMR also published a breakdown of the reviewed transactions by the nationality of the participating companies, ownership structure, and type of economic concentration.
Source: SAMR
WAIC Highlights: Launch of WAICO and a Global AI Initiative
On the eve of the World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC), representatives of 29 countries, including Russia, signed the Agreement on the Establishment of the World AI Cooperation Organization (WAICO). The signing ceremony was presided over by Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi. Russia was represented by Maksut Shadaev, Minister of Digital Development, Communications and Mass Media.
WAICO aims to promote international cooperation and global governance in artificial intelligence while fostering the healthy, orderly, secure, fair, and inclusive development of AI for the benefit of humanity. The organization's headquarters will be located in Shanghai.
During the conference, China also unveiled the Global Initiative on Cooperation for Trusted, Interoperable, and Shared AI Agents, which consists of ten key commitments:
- strengthening research and development to foster collaborative innovation;
- promoting mutual recognition of standards and reducing ecosystem barriers;
- jointly developing infrastructure and improving connectivity;
- accelerating the deployment of AI agents and expanding real-world application scenarios;
- promoting industrial cooperation and a thriving global AI ecosystem;
- establishing a robust security framework and upholding ethical principles;
- facilitating data flows while strengthening data protection;
- expanding resource sharing and narrowing the AI capability gap;
- promoting an inclusive governance culture that respects diversity;
- improving digital literacy and delivering mutually beneficial outcomes.
Sources: China Foreign Ministry, Russia Foreign Ministry, WeChat
Overseas Antitrust Series: Turkey
In 2026, SAMR launched a series of infographics introducing the antitrust laws and competition enforcement systems of major foreign jurisdictions. The latest publication focuses on Turkey, outlining the country's principal competition laws, merger notification thresholds, and key categories of anticompetitive conduct.
Previous editions of the series covered the antitrust regimes of the United States, the European Union, the United Kingdom, South Korea, Japan, Canada, Italy, Germany, Australia, Chile, France, and Mexico.
Source: WeChat
